The Eve of Abounding Wickedness

by Mark Spaid

  “That objects can go through and come back safely,” Dave said.

  “What about living things?” Dave went to a small cage on the counter and brought back a hamster tied to a long piece of twine. He stood in front of the portal and tossed the hamster. A few minutes later he pulled it back and the hamster was alive and well.

  “It works,” Sol said. Kleinschmidt looked at the portal then at the hamster and finally at the three physicists.

  “You’ve done well again…my superiors will be pleased.” He began to leave.

  “What next?” Dave asked.

  “Wait here.” They had no option but to do as they were told and Warren shut off the device.

  “What’s he doing now?” Warren asked.

  “My guess is he’s getting permission from his superiors to send some people on a little expedition,” Sol answered.

  “Hello, Love,” Dave said on his cell. He was pacing as he called Tatiana.

  “How’s it going?” Tatiana asked. Everyone was gathered around watching Tatiana. They were expecting a call from Dave as he told them this could be the day and if it was, he’d call. A pre-arranged code had been set between Tatiana and Dave.

  “It’s going well, we’re waiting for Mr. Kleinschmidt to return.”

  “Did the monkey fly?” Tatiana asked.

  “Yes, the monkey flew. .”

  “How about pizza for supper?”

  “Please, no, I’ve had enough pizza. Let’s go out, maybe to Shannigans. Everyone likes that place.”

  “Sounds good to me, I’m tired of being cooped up at home and I’m sure most of us feel the same way.”

  “Great, let’s try and be ready to leave around six.”

  “We’ll be ready, Dave.”

  “I have to go, Love,” Dave said and put his cell away. An hour passed then a car pulled up and four men got out. Kleinschmidt led them into the lab and they stood looking at the portal.

  “Why is it off?” Kleinschmidt asked with a concerned look on his face.

  “It shouldn’t be on continuously,” Warren said.

  “How will they get back then?”

  “Once they’ve gone through, they need to identify the location and they can’t forget it. When it’s time for them to come back all they have to do is to stand in front of the spot and talk to us in a normal voice. We’ll hear them. I turn it on and in a short time the portal will appear and they can come back.”

  “Can they go back and forth together?”

  “Yes, there shouldn’t be a restriction. Now, if it was twenty people, then I don’t know. I’ve witnessed as many as ten and it worked fine. It’s an opening between time periods and it’s nothing more than a rather extraordinary doorway,” Warren said.

  “There are two things, however,” Dave said.

  “And they are?” Kleinschmidt asked.

  “Once the device is on there’s a pulling factor if you’re close to the portal and the more people there are the greater the force. It’ll grab you and pull you through.”

  “Isn’t that the idea?” Kleinschmidt asked.

  “Yes, but just be certain if you’re close that you want to go with the rest of them,” Dave answered.

  “I think I understand.” So, I need to keep my distance or I’ll go with them.”

  “Yes.”

  ‘Thanks for the warning.”

  “There’s one more thing...metal objects won’t pass though the portal,” Sol said.

  “Why didn’t you tell me before?” Kleinschmidt asked perturbed.

  “You came back ready to go so fast. We were going to tell you everything,” Dave said.

  “Alright men, ditch all your weapons,” Kleinschmidt said. There were groans but the weapons wouldn’t pass through.

  “We’re ready sir,” a man said and the four stood in front of the portal as Warren warmed up the transformer.

  “You know, Mr. Kleinschmidt, that we don’t know much about time travel but I think a general rule might be to not change too much in the past,” Dave said.

  “You must know, that we intend to change everything about the past.” Dave saw he was wasting his time so he nodded and said nothing more. The portal was ready and the four men stood before it.

  “Remember your mission,” Kleinschmidt said then nodded. They all went through at the same time and Warren shut off the transformer.

  “You can talk to them,” Dave said.

  “Are you okay?” Kleinschmidt asked.

  “Yes, we’re fine,” A voice came back. Kleinschmidt looked at Warren and nodded with a grin.

  “Good luck,” Kleinschmidt said.

  “Thank, you, sir.” Then there were no more voices. Kleinschmidt looked at the transformer and the controls, especially the chronometer.

  “Mr. Kleinschmidt, can we leave early today?” Dave asked. He said nothing but took out his cell and walked to the far corner of the lab where he couldn’t be heard. After fifteen minutes he walked back smiling.

  “My superiors are pleased with the success so far. You have done a good job.” A car pulled up and three men got out. They were less rugged looking than the ones who went through the portal and in fact had an air of science about them. They immediately looked at the equipment thoroughly; the portal, the transformer and the control panel and were especially taken by the copper balls that projected from the top of the wiring in the ceiling. They huddled for a few minutes pointing at the rectangular structure and the transformer then nodded all around and waved Kleinschmidt for a meeting. They were in the corner for what seemed like a half an hour. Finally, Kleinschmidt led them back to Dave, Sol and Warren.

  “Have you decided if we can leave now, Mr. Kleinschmidt?” Dave asked.

  “You, Dr. Swanzy and you Dr. Isaacson may leave. Your work’s done here.”

  “What about me?” Warren asked.

  “Dr. Peabody, you must stay. We may have use for you.”

  “But my wife…” Warren started.

  “You two leave, Dr. Peabody stays.” Dave started to say something but Sol grabbed his arm.

  “Let’s go, Dave,” Sol said and they went down the sidewalk briskly before Kleinschmidt changed his mind.

  “What’re we going to tell Ariel?” Dave wondered.

  “The truth, he was the brains of this operation and we were just along for the ride.” Twenty minutes later they were home. They’d been driven to work every day blindfolded but after a few days the blindfolds were abandoned and they could see where they were going. The Nazis knew they wouldn’t tell anyone for the safety of their families.

  “You’re early,” Tatiana said.

  “Where’s Warren?” Ariel asked.

  “They kept him,” Sol replied.

  “What do you mean they kept him?”

  “He was vital to their plans. We’re not,” Dave said.

  “But what’s going to happen to him?” Ariel asked nervously. She was shaking and Lexi walked over to give some comfort.

  “I don’t know, Ariel…any more than I know what’ll happen to us,” Dave said.

  “We’re ready,” Tatiana said to Dave. Their code called for everyone to run as a group and get away. Dave gave the signal when he suggested they go out to eat. They were ready but now things had changed.

  “We can’t now, not with Warren captive,” Dave said.

  “No, that’s out,” Justin said.

  “You guys should go while you still can, I’ll stay behind,” Ariel said.

  “We’re not going anywhere without Warren,” Andy said.

  “You guys don’t have to do that,” Ariel said.

  “Oh, we have to and we will,” Dave said.

  “We leave no one behind,” Jozette added.

  “They know we said we’re going out to eat so we need to do that,” Dave said.

  “We’re ready,” Belinda said dressed uncharacteristically in slacks and a modest blue top, no hoop earrings, no gaudy make-up or heels.

  “Come on Baby,” Justin said to
his daughter Gabby and Andy took Beth’s hand.

  “Shannigans is nice, it’s no Evergreen Club but what is?” Will remarked.

  “Their desserts are very good here,” Lexi said.

  “Mom, can I get lobster?” Dixie asked.

  “You get anything you want,” Jozette said.

  “All you girls, order whatever you like,” Lexi said.

  “What’s going to happen now, Dave?” Justin asked.

  “I’m not sure but I’m nervous.”

  “We all are, Mr. Dave; it’s a certainty they’re not going to just ignore us,” Little Wolf said.

  “Why not?” Belinda asked.

  “Because if and if may be a big thing here…if we can remember the world before the Nazis take over then we’re a liability. Maybe we won’t remember and maybe they won’t either and if that’s the case we should be okay.”

  “But you don’t think that’s how it’ll go,” Will said. Little Wolf looked around.

  “No, I don’t. I think we’ll retain memories of the previous world and the packets that Warren gave us should guarantee that.”

  “And the Nazis will retain memories as well since they probably have done something similar to what Warren did,” Julieta said.

  “Exactly; the best hope we have is that that they took no precautions against a memory cleanse and can’t remember but I doubt it. We have to keep in mind that we’re up against a very clever opponent. These guys are intelligent and will likely be a step behind us or even a step ahead.” That sort of took the life out of the party but there wasn’t any life in it anyway. Little Wolf knew that and chose this time to explain things and warn everyone since it wasn’t likely to bring them any lower than they already were.

  “When will it happen?” Lexi asked.

  “Could be tonight,” Dave said.

  “In the middle of the night?” Jessica asked.

  “We don’t have their schedule but waking people up is the best way to pull off a mass kidnapping,” Sol said. “My suggestion is to stay dressed and be prepared.

  “Girls, don’t offer any resistance. Do as they tell you; we can think about a response later,” Tatiana said. The girls nodded understanding.

  “Mama, I’m scared,” Gabby said.

  “You’ll be with Papa and me tonight,” Belinda said.

  “You’ll be with us, Beth,” Jozette said. Beth wasn’t as needy as Gabby but the talk had frightened her and she clung to her mother. There wasn’t much talk this night and they went home around nine.

  “You can’t sleep either,” Jozette said to Tatiana who sat at the kitchen table at three in the morning.

  “I never sleep very well…my childhood I guess.”

  “They’re coming aren’t they.”

  “It’s just a matter of time, Jo.”

  “What do we do?”

  “Go with them…if there were no kids, I’d fight them and kill as many as I could before they got me.”

  “But we do have kids and we can’t take any chances.”

  “That’s right, so we don’t resist and we wait for our moment.”

  “They’ll be here in a minute,” Little Wolf said as he came in from the back door.

  “Where’ve you been?” Jozette asked.

  “Scouting the neighborhood, I’d imagine,” Tatiana said with a grin.

  “There are cars all around the block. They’re assembling their numbers and the truck is just around the corner.” As he said that they could here footsteps on the front porch and saw men running at the back of the house.

  “Let them inside,” Tatiana said as she headed for the front door and waved Jozette to answer the back door.

  “Come in, gentlemen, we’ve been expecting you,” Tatiana said and six men came inside with surprised looks on their faces. Jozette let in another five at the back door and they gathered in the living room.

  “We have no weapons, so you can put yours away. We’ll get everyone and we’ll all come peacefully. There are children involved and we have no intention of doing anything foolish,” Tatiana said. A man signaled with his head for Tatiana to get everyone. She and Jozette went to all the rooms and they were assembled quickly…twenty people in all.

  “Follow me and don’t anyone try to run,” a man said. They’d explained everything thoroughly to the children and they understood. Justin held Gabby in his arms and Andy held Beth. As they walked down the front sidewalk a semi pulled up in front of the house and they were loaded in the back.

  “I was hoping for a stretch limo,” Andy said.

  “Me too, it’s the least the soon to be conquerers of the world could do for their first captives,” Will added. Neither he nor Andy were trying to be funny but the kids were scared and most of the adults and anything to take their minds off being herded into a truck like cattle could help.

  “Sit down against the wall of the truck,” a man said and they did so as the doors were closed and locked. It was pitch black but Little Wolf and Jozette had brought along flashlights. Lexi and Will had small flashlights that converted into lamps. They sat down three of these and though the light was dim, they could see each other and that had a measure of comfort.

  “How are you, Baby?” Lexi asked Will. The excitement could bring on a spell and he’d started to struggle catching his breath.

  “I’m better now.”

  “Slow breaths” she said and held his hand. Lexi could always calm him down and when she was next to him, he’d relax.

  “Where’re they taking us?” Belinda asked.

  “Hard to say, Miss Belinda,” Julieta said. Jozette sat next to her friend to make her feel safe. Over the years when Belinda was scared or in trouble it was always Jozette who was there to take care of her.

  “Jo, thanks for all you’ve done for me since we met and thanks for being my friend. If they line us up and shoot us…I’m not going to whimper.” Jozette turned to look at Belinda and grinned but nothing more was said.

  The Berghof

  June 1939

  The four Nazi time travelers took the trip across the ocean, having secured passage on a passenger ship after taking a train to New York. Another train across France to Germany and they arrived at the base of Hitler’s mountaintop retreat, The Berghof, leered over the countryside atop the Bavarian Alps right on the Austrian border. SS officers, Matthews, Brown, Carlisle and Westkoff huddled to get their story straight. Matthews was a captain and the other three were lieutenants. They approached the entrance to the Berghof and were met with two armed guards.

  “Detail to see Plenipotentiary and General Field Marshall Hermann Goering,” Matthews said as he presented authentic papers and a badge. The guards motioned for them to go inside.

  “Now what?” Brown asked.

  “We act the role,” Matthews said. They all four spoke fluent German and had been practicing for months as part of their indoctrination. There was every hope on the part of the Nazi leadership that the time would soon come that they could go back and change things…and now that time had arrived.

  “Who’s asking for me?” A large man said as he met the four in a hallway. There could be no mistaking Hermann Goering. He dominated a room with his size and personality.

  “Heil Hitler,” Matthews said and they all four gave the Nazi salute.

  “Heil Hitler,” Goering said.

  “May we speak in private, Herr Goering,” Matthews said and Goering led them into a room and closed the door. They sat at a large table.

  “Do you bring news from Himmler?”

  “No, Herr Goering. We are here to give advice and counsel.”

  “About what?”

  “Germany’s military preparedness and the Fuehrer’s intentions for the future,” Mathews said.

  “The Fuehrer’s intentions are unknown and as for military preparedness, I think we did well against Austria and Czechoslovakia without firing a shot.”

  “Yes, certainly, Herr Goering, but that’s the problem,” Matthews said. The army hasn’t been
tested and it’s not armed sufficiently to begin a continental war.”

  “Perhaps not but we can remedy that with war production.”

  “Absolutely but it must start now. Germany must go on an immediate war footing. All production must be for tanks, planes, artillery, etc. We must build up a huge arsenal before we attack Poland, France etc.”

  “How do you know all of this? We’re not at war with France or Poland.”

  “No, but you must see that the Fuehrer has that in mind.” Goering looked away and sighed.

  “Perhaps he does but I still don’t understand how you know these things,” Goering said. Matthews looked at the other three and they nodded. It was time to drop the bombshell.

  “Herr Goering, we chose to speak with you because it’s our belief that you’re by far the most intelligent of all the Nazi high command. Your experience as a fighter pilot and warrior place you above the other Nazi leaders who merely pretend to be soldiers.” Goering let out a grin. Every egomaniac craves praise and Goering was no different.

  “Get to your point.”

  “Very well but what I’m about to tell you will come as a shock. I only ask that you listen and believe me. We four have one abiding desire and that’s for the Third Reich to win the conflict and spread National Socialism to the world.” Goering nodded.

  “Tell me what you know.”

  “You know of Einstein.”

  “Everyone does, he left Germany to save his skin…probably a good idea,” Goering said chuckling.

  “Have you heard of Tesla?”

  “Of course, a brilliant man who also went to the U.S. We could’ve used him.”

  “Yes, and he’s why and how we’re here.” Matthews paused and took a deep breath. “Tesla was trying to solve the Unified Filed Theory. With its solution there are many fantastic devices that previously belonged in science fiction but are now reality. He died but other men solved it and now the devices are available to Nazis in the future who are trying to win victory for the Fuehrer, you and others.”

  “When did he die…I thought he was still alive.”

  “He died in 1943.” Goering looked at the four then leaned back in his seat.

  “You’re from the future?”

  “Yes, we are and we’re here to tell you that Germany needs to prepare for war now by a complete switch to war production. In 1941 the Fuehrer will invade the Soviet Union. It’ll go well at first as Russia will be caught flat-footed. But lack of war materials and the sheer size of Russia will spell Germany’s doom. After France falls in 1940, we must invade England. It’ll knock the British navy out of the war and let North Africa fall easily. Then America will not have a platform to lead an invasion of the continent.” Matthews stopped to gauge reaction as Goering sat with his hands clasped on his chest.